Training Day

Last week,  I was riding with my cousin who was telling me about the rigors of training her dog. She told me that she had to solicit the help of a dog trainer. In addition, she was telling me how smart the dog had become as he has figured out that the treats are the secret to his training; so to the point that he now brings her the treat so she can give him a command!

Now if, only hair would train as easy as dogs. The other day I was in the salon servicing a new customer. I asked her what goals did she have for her hair. She responded that she wanted it grow longer, be healthy and to "train" it. Huh, train hair? I have not heard that phrase since 1977. I was not aware that people were still under the notion that hair could be trained. So, I told my new customer that her goal to train her hair would make for a great blog topic!

First things first, hair can not be trained. Yeah, I know. Another myth debunked. I am not quite sure how these things are coming to fruition into the minds of many as it relates to hair care and hair styling, but plenty of misinformation is spreading fast. She went onto to tell me that she was under the belief that hair could be trained via:

• Brushing hair in the desired direction
• Combing hair in the desired direction
• Flat Ironing
• Rolling 
• Wrapping 

In this kipufi (brief) blog, I will briefly explain why the above-mentioned techniques can not train hair. Drum roll, please. 

Brushing hair will not train hair. However, brushing hair will tame hair. Brushing hair has many benefits; again, training is not one of them. Brush hair promotes hair growth by way of stimulating the scalp to increase blood flow. Blood flow and the oxygen in it are what nourishes hair. Nourished hair is strong. Brushing hair will save you plenty of money on buying hair care products that claim to strengthen hair and make it shine. Most hair care products work on hair externally. It is the internal workings of hair care by way of nutrition that makes hair truly strong and shiny. So brushing hair does that. Brushing hair promotes growth, shine and smoothness.

Combing hair in any direction will not train hair. Combing hair is about two things. First and foremost, combing hair is another way to clean hair.  Second, combing hair will groom and style it. When hair is combed properly, the benefits are exfoliating, de-thatching, detangling and redistribution. What does that mean? 

When hair is combed properly with the right comb, the teeth of the comb will exfoliate and slough off dead and dry skin cells from the scalp.  As the comb loosens the fibrin (flakes) and debris from the scalp, it makes washing hair more effective. Though de-thatching is most commonly associated with lawn care. The concept of using a rake to remove the build of grass and organic matter by way of de-thatching; is synonymous to using a comb to remove flakes and hair that has shed. The concept of removing a build up of stuff with a rake-like tool is the same. Combing hair detangles it. If longer hair is the goal, detangling is the secret to getting there. Tangled hair prevents natural and added oils from getting to the ends of hair. When longer hair is desired, it is the ends of the hair that are directly responsible for the length. Detangling hair is

Combing your hair

 essential to hair being manageable, tangle free and minimizes the breakage on the ends. When hair is combed properly with the right comb, long, strong healthy hair is often the result, not trained hair. Lastly, when hair is combed frequently, you will have the opportunity to redistribute the oils throughout your hair from your regrowth at the scalp to the ends. When hair is only combed once per day, the more snapping and breaking of hair fibers you will see in your sink, on the floor, and in your comb. If you have any degree of texture in your hair, the longer you go without combing your hair, you will see and physically feel your hair reverting back in the scalp area. When hair reverts back as a result of not combing it. And then you add in sweating, scratching, the wind blowing and the likes, hair will become matted and difficult to comb. When hair is difficult to comb, the length of the hair is compromised from the tug of trying to detangle it. No more tears. So comb your hair frequently to redistribute oils, promote the health and achieve length on your hair.

But, by no power vested in your arm and hand will you be able to train your hair with a comb.

Flat ironing  is safe.

Flat ironing hair will not result in trained hair. Frequent flat ironing on any temperature will eventually break the bonds that are responsible for the curl, wave, kink or Afro texture within the hair strands. The result is overprocessed hair that results in loss of hair texture or pattern. While your hair will not be trained from flat ironing it frequently, it can be damaged. Hair is an excellent conductor of heat. So, to permanently break the bonds that give hair textured and patterns will take plenty of heat and aggressive hair styling. Be careful when using heat. Use heat responsibly with a thermal protectant with the right amount of heat and your hair will be fine for a very long time.

Rolling hair will not result in trained hair. Rolling hair will result in curled hair. Aside from protection, adornment is considered to be the chief purpose of hair. Rather long, short or bald; hair is all about adorning oneself. Adorning for most humans and other animals for that matter is innate. For whatever reason, looking good is just as important as breathing. So, rolling hair is all about the hair style. If the hair is rolled the same way; then the varying styles associated with that rolled pattern will yield the desired look. However, by no stretch of the imagination is hair trained when it is rolled.

Wrapping hair will not train hair.  Wrapping  hair in a circular pattern around the hair is identical to rolling hair. The exception here is your head. When you wrap your hair, your head is the "roller!" Surprising, isn't it? So, when you wrap something long in a circular pattern, the result is almost always smooth and straight with a slight curvature. When wrapped properly, the result is less work to restyling your hair. However, trained hair will not be the result. 

As you can see the misnomer of trained hair is not possible in the world of hair styling. Hair grows every day all day for 6-7 years straight, non-stop. So how can something that is always growing be trained? It can be tamed, compromised and altered; but never trained.

Hair styling is a part of hair care. Have fun with your hair as you take care of it. If something sounds too good to be true, it typically is. So while training your dog to sit and giving him or her treats for behaving; hair might behave, but it can not be trained. Hair is rarely that cooperative, no matter how expensive or unique the treat is!

Now sit Uboo. Good dog.

Herbal Shampoos

Here we go again. Shampoos. Shampoo is one of those words in the hair care industry that I wish they would change. 

Have you ever heard the expression, "Hair is to be shampooed not washed?" In my opinion, people who use that statement or support that school of thought have no clue of how discern shampooing from washing. For the amount of heavy products, infrequent practice of shampooing and what the scalp naturally emits, washing is truly a better verb to use to teach people how to clean their scalp and hair. But, since shampoo is the proper term, let us investigate it!

Sometime during 5000 BC, the Egyptians were using all sorts of herbs, oils and tinctures to apply to hair and scalp for cleansing and beautification. That wasn't working to well due to some little tiny life forces called micro organisms. Mircro organisms resulted in scalp issues, hair bugs of lice and mice that promoted the invention and wearing of wigs. Soon, the invasion of Egypt changed things.During the same time, the Babylonians had their own methods of beautification. The Chinese method of champing was common. Champing is a massage technique using fingers, thumbs and knuckles to massage the entire body. 

During that time an Indian military soldier named Dean Mohamet observed this technique of champing during his military travels working for the elite. After the war, Dean Mohamet became unemployed. He decided to use the art of Champing, now termed Champu to provide body cleansing and massage services for Hindi sultans and nabobs. Tired of the champu technique being exclusively provided to the wealthy, he ventured away from servicing the wealthy and added soap to his champing technique to service everyday people. After being practiced in England for such long time, in 1860 champu spelling was changed to shampoo. Then it was officially recorded and entered into the dictionary as "the soap used for cleansing hair."

Later in 1908 Hans Schwarkzkopf (yes, the maker of the professional hair color) developed a powder to clean hair because he disliked soap and the film it left behind on hair. To promote his new found invention, he took an article out in the New York Times titled, "How to Shampoo Your Hair." It was an instant success. 

Not be outdone by a German, an American doctor, Dr. John Breck (yep, of the Breck girls commercials) invented the first pH shampoo, thus making the experience of shampooing hair more gentle to the touch and less tangles in the hair. 

So, now we are in the new millennium and shampoo is just now making a turn around the corner to be in the spot of hair care where it should be....from the hands, to the hair and back to the hands again!

The shampoos of today gets its the force to make the curve from its ingredients. The force of the ingredients are herbs. What are herbs? Botanists describe an herb as a small, seed bearing plant with fleshy, rather than woody, parts (from which we get the term "herbaceous").   In addition to herbaceous perennials, herbs include trees, shrubs, annuals, vines, and more primitive plants, such as ferns, mosses, algae, lichens, and fungi. So now we see herbs are the good stuff. 

What makes herbs good? Nutrient bioavailability is what makes the herb worth its weight on a shelf in your salon or shower caddy in your bathroom. So what exactly is bioavailability?Bioavailability in hair care is very similar to the process of it when consuming food. The difference is when the product comes into contact with the scalp and where the those vital nutrients from the herbs and essential oils go. For example, when you apply the shampoo to your hands the ingredients are absorbed into your skin. Next you apply it to the customers scalp and the nutrients contained in the shampoo are released from the matrix of the herbs or and essential oil, absorbed into the bloodstream and transported to their respective target tissues. In this case the target tissue would be the, papilla. Bam!

Come on now Aveda, Aryuvedic is a BELIEF in the balance
of mind, body and spirit. Not long volumizing hair. 

However, not all nutrients can be utilized to the same extent. In other words, they differ in their bioavailability. So, the first step in making a nutrient bioavailable is to liberate it from the herb (which is a food too) matrix and turn it into a chemical form that can bind to and enter the follicles (that are on your scalp where the hairs on your head grows from) cells or pass between them and work their magic. 

The question is; does your shampoo do that? Probably not. 

Do not be duped by products claiming to be organic, natural, for natural hair, for women of color, for Black women and for ethnic hair. Those terms mean nothing in the world of bioavailabiity. Bioavailability is how your hair, scalp and other organs receive or not receive what is intended to improve or maintain the health of your hair. 

Not even owned by an African,
let alone has herbs in it. 

Herbal shampoos that tout SLS-Free, Sulfate Free, Petroleum Free, Mineral Oil Free, Vegan, Gluten Free, No Animal Testing, Paraben Free are simply buzz and trending works marketing companies use to promote their client's shampoo.

Instead, look for buzz words in the ingredients or pamphlets that include words like nutraceuticals, enyzmatic activity, bioavailability, absorption, USP (United States Pharmacopeia),follicle care to name a few to spike your interest to grab the bottle, click the mouse or press your finger. 

Herbal shampoos that actually include herbs, essential oils, fruits, vegetables, vitamins and proteins will suffice when coupled with some of the buzz word used above. 

While the word "organic" gets people all warm and fuzzy inside; buyer beware. The results are more often anti-climactic for the masses. Understand that the term "organic" is a term for agriculture not hair care. Organic is all how about how. To know the efficacy of what is organic in you shampoo, look for seals from such caring agencies who test the efficacy of what is supposed to be organic. Agencies such as Ecocert and ICEA (International per la Certificazione Etic de Ambientale) have websites that provide links to hair care companies who they have certified. 

Make your next purchase via ICEA.

The Reverence Design Team Hair Salon located in Cleveland Heights, Ohio prides itself as one of the many salons worldwide who uses USDA Organic, Ecocert and ICEA certified shampoos, conditioners, proteins on their clients' hair as well as a salon who retails soaps, lotions, body butters, deodorants and toothpaste. 

How's that for herbal shampoos.